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A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overloador short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and, by interrupting continuity, to immediately discontinue electrical flow. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then must be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation. Circuit breakers are made in varying sizes, from small devices that protect an individual household appliance up to large switchgear designed to protect high voltage circuits feeding an entire city.
Contents
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1 Origins 2 Operation 3 Arc interruption 4 Short-circuit current 5 Standard current ratings 6 Types of circuit breakers
o o o o o o o o
6.1 Low voltage circuit breakers 6.2 Magnetic circuit breakers 6.3 Thermal magnetic circuit breakers 6.4 Common trip breakers 6.5 Medium-voltage circuit breakers 6.6 High-voltage circuit breakers 6.7 Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) high-voltage circuit-breakers 6.8 Disconnecting circuit breaker (DCB)
Origins
Inspired by the works of American scientist Joseph Henry and English scientist Michael Faraday, the circuit breaker was invented in 1836 by an American, Charles Grafton Page.[1] An early form of circuit breaker was described by Thomas Edison in an 1879 patent application, although his commercial power distribution system used fuses.[2] Its purpose was to protect lighting circuit wiring
from accidental short-circuits and overloads. A modern miniature circuit breaker similar to the ones now in use was patented by Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1924. Hugo Stotz, an engineer who had sold his company, Stotz-Kontakt, to BBC, was credited as the inventor on DRP (Deutsches Reichspatent) 458329.[3] Stotz's invention was the forerunner of the modern thermal-magnetic breaker commonly used in household load centers to this day.
An air circuit breaker for low voltage (less than 1000 volts) power distribution switchgear
Operation
All circuit breakers have common features in their operation, although details vary substantially depending on the voltage class, current rating and type of the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker must detect a fault condition; in low-voltage circuit breakers this is usually done within the breaker enclosure. Circuit breakers for large currents or high voltages are usually arranged with pilot devices to sense a fault current and to operate the trip opening mechanism. The trip solenoid that releases the latch is usually energized by a separate battery, although some high-voltage circuit breakers are selfcontained with current transformers, protection relays, and an internal control power source. Once a fault is detected, contacts within the circuit breaker must open to interrupt the circuit; some mechanically-stored energy (using something such as springs or compressed air) contained within the breaker is used to separate the contacts, although some of the energy required may be obtained from the fault current itself. Small circuit breakers may be manually operated, larger units have solenoids to trip the mechanism, and electric motors to restore energy to the springs. The circuit breaker contacts must carry the load current without excessive heating, and must also withstand the heat of the arc produced when interrupting (opening) the circuit. Contacts are made of copper or copper alloys, silver alloys, and other highly conductive materials. Service life of the contacts is limited by the erosion of contact material due to arcing while interrupting the current. Miniature and molded case circuit breakers are usually discarded when the contacts have worn, but power circuit breakers and high-voltage circuit breakers have replaceable contacts. When a current is interrupted, an arc is generated. This arc must be contained, cooled, and extinguished in a controlled way, so that the gap between the contacts can again withstand the voltage in the circuit. Different circuit breakers use vacuum, air, insulating gas, or oil as the medium the arc forms in. Different techniques are used to extinguish the arc including:
Division into partial arcs Zero point quenching (Contacts open at the zero current time crossing of the AC waveform, effectively breaking no load current at the time of opening. The zero crossing occurs at twice the line frequency i.e. 100 times per second for 50 Hz and 120 times per second for 60 Hz AC)
Finally, once the fault condition has been cleared, the contacts must again be closed to restore power to the interrupted circuit.
Arc interruption
Miniature low-voltage circuit breakers use air alone to extinguish the arc. Larger ratings have metal plates or non-metallic arc chutes to divide and cool the arc. Magnetic blowoutcoils or permanent magnets deflect the arc into the arc chute. In larger ratings, oil circuit breakers rely upon vaporization of some of the oil to blast a jet of oil through the arc.[4] Gas (usually sulfur hexafluoride) circuit breakers sometimes stretch the arc using a magnetic field, and then rely upon the dielectric strength of the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) to quench the stretched arc. Vacuum circuit breakers have minimal arcing (as there is nothing to ionize other than the contact material), so the arc quenches when it is stretched a very small amount (<23 mm). Vacuum circuit breakers are frequently used in modern medium-voltage switchgear to 35,000 volts. Air circuit breakers may use compressed air to blow out the arc, or alternatively, the contacts are rapidly swung into a small sealed chamber, the escaping of the displaced air thus blowing out the arc. Circuit breakers are usually able to terminate all current very quickly: typically the arc is extinguished between 30 ms and 150 ms after the mechanism has been tripped, depending upon age and construction of the device.
Short-circuit current
Circuit breakers are rated both by the normal current that they are expected to carry, and the maximum short-circuit current that they can safely interrupt. Under short-circuit conditions, a current many times greater than normal can exist (see maximum prospective short circuit current). When electrical contacts open to interrupt a large current, there is a tendency for an arc to form between the opened contacts, which would allow the current to continue. This condition can create conductive ionized gases and molten or vaporized metal, which can cause further continuation of the arc, or creation of additional short circuits, potentially resulting in the explosion of the circuit breaker and the equipment that it is installed in. Therefore, circuit breakers must incorporate various features to divide and extinguish the arc.
In air-insulated and miniature breakers an arc chute structure consisting (often) of metal plates or ceramic ridges cools the arc, and magnetic blowout coils deflect the arc into the arc chute. Larger circuit breakers such as those used in electrical power distribution may use vacuum, an inert gas such as sulphur hexafluoride or have contacts immersed in oil to suppress the arc. The maximum short-circuit current that a breaker can interrupt is determined by testing. Application of a breaker in a circuit with a prospective short-circuit current higher than the breaker's interrupting capacity rating may result in failure of the breaker to safely interrupt a fault. In a worst-case scenario the breaker may successfully interrupt the fault, only to explode when reset. Miniature circuit breakers used to protect control circuits or small appliances may not have sufficient interrupting capacity to use at a panelboard; these circuit breakers are called "supplemental circuit protectors" to distinguish them from distribution-type circuit breakers.
Type B C D
Instantaneous tripping current above 3 In up to and including 5 In above 5 In up to and including 10 In above 10 In up to and including 20 In above 8 In up to and including 12 In
For the protection of loads that cause frequent short duration (approximately 400 ms to 2 s) current peaks in normal operation. above 2 In up to and including 3 In for periods in the order of tens of seconds. For the protection of loads such as semiconductor devices or measuring circuits using current transformers.
In the United States, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certifies equipment ratings, called Series Ratings (or integrated equipment ratings), using a two-tier rating. For example, a 22/10 rating. This rating means that the meter pack has a 22 kAIC tenant breaker, feeding a 10 kAIC loadcenter with 10 kAIC branches, where kAIC stands for Thousand Ampere Interrupting Capacity. Common meter pack ratings are 22/10, 42/10 and 100/10.[6]
Front panel of a 1250 A air circuit breaker manufactured by ABB. This low voltage power circuit breaker can be withdrawn from its housing for servicing. Trip characteristics are configurable via DIP switches on the front panel.
Many different classifications of circuit breakers can be made, based on their features such as voltage class, construction type, interrupting type, and structural features.
MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker)rated current not more than 100 A. Trip characteristics normally not adjustable. Thermal or thermal-magnetic operation. Breakers illustrated above are in this category.
MCCB (Molded Case Circuit Breaker)rated current up to 2500 A. Thermal or thermal-magnetic operation. Trip current may be adjustable in larger ratings.
Low voltage power circuit breakers can be mounted in multi-tiers in low-voltage switchboards or switchgear cabinets.
The characteristics of Low Voltage circuit breakers are given by international standards such as IEC 947. These circuit breakers are often installed in draw-out enclosures that allow removal and interchange without dismantling the switchgear.
Large low-voltage molded case and power circuit breakers may have electric motor operators so they can trip (open) and close under remote control. These may form part of an automatic transfer switch system for standby power. Low-voltage circuit breakers are also made for direct-current (DC) applications, such as DC for subway lines. Direct current requires special breakers because the arc is continuousunlike an AC arc, which tends to go out on each half cycle. A direct current circuit breaker has blow-out coils that generate a magnetic field that rapidly stretches the arc. Small circuit breakers are either installed directly in equipment, or are arranged in a breaker panel.
Three pole common trip breaker for supplying a three-phase device. This breaker has a 2 A rating
When supplying a branch circuit with more than one live conductor, each live conductor must be protected by a breaker pole. To ensure that all live conductors are interrupted when any pole trips, a "common trip" breaker must be used. These may either contain two or three tripping mechanisms within one case, or for small breakers, may externally tie the poles together via their operating handles. Two pole common trip breakers are common on 120/240 volt systems where 240 volt loads (including major appliances or further
distribution boards) span the two live wires. Three-pole common trip breakers are typically used to supply three-phase electric power to large motors or further distribution boards. Two and four pole breakers are used when there is a need to disconnect multiple phase ACor to disconnect the neutral wire to ensure that no current flows through the neutral wire from other loads connected to the same network when workers may touch the wires during maintenance. Separate circuit breakers must never be used for live and neutral, because if the neutral is disconnected while the live conductor stays connected, a dangerous condition arises: the circuit appears de-energized (appliances don't work), but wires remain live and RCDs don't trip if someone touches the live wire (because RCDs need power to trip). This is why only common trip breakers must be used when neutral wire switching is needed
Vacuum circuit breakersWith rated current up to 3000 A, these breakers interrupt the current by creating and extinguishing the arc in a vacuum container. These are generally applied for voltages up to about 35,000 V,[7] which corresponds roughly to the medium-voltage range of power systems. Vacuum circuit breakers tend to have longer life expectancies between overhaul than do air circuit breakers.
Air circuit breakersRated current up to 10,000 A. Trip characteristics are often fully adjustable including configurable trip thresholds and delays. Usually electronically controlled, though some models are microprocessor controlled via an integral electronic trip unit. Often used for main power distribution in large industrial plant, where the breakers are arranged in draw-out enclosures for ease of maintenance.
SF6 circuit breakers extinguish the arc in a chamber filled with sulfur hexafluoride gas.
Medium-voltage circuit breakers may be connected into the circuit by bolted connections to bus bars or wires, especially in outdoor switchyards. Medium-voltage circuit breakers in switchgear line-ups are often
built with draw-out construction, allowing breaker removal without disturbing power circuit connections, using a motor-operated or hand-cranked mechanism to separate the breaker from its enclosure.
Some of the manufacturers are ABB, GE (General Electric), Tavrida Electric, Alstom, Mitsubishi Electric, Pennsylvania Breaker, Siemens, Toshiba, Konar HVS, BHEL, CGL, Square D (Schneider Electric), Becker/SMC (SMC Electrical Products). Due to environmental and cost concerns over insulating oil spills, most new breakers use SF 6gas to quench the arc. Circuit breakers can be classified as live tank, where the enclosure that contains the breaking mechanism is at line potential, or dead tank with the enclosure at earth potential. High-voltage AC circuit breakers are routinely available with ratings up to 765 kV. 1200kV breakers were launched by Siemens in November 2011[8], followed by ABB in April the following year.[9]
High-voltage circuit breakers used on transmission systems may be arranged to allow a single pole of a three-phase line to trip, instead of tripping all three poles; for some classes of faults this improves the system stability and availability.
Other breakers
The following types are described in separate articles.
Breakers for protections against earth faults too small to trip an over-current device:
Residual-current device (RCD, formerly known as a residual current circuit breaker) detects current imbalance, but does not provide over-current protection.
Residual current breaker with over-current protection (RCBO) combines the functions of an RCD and an MCB in one package. In the United States and Canada, panel-mounted devices that combine ground (earth) fault detection and over-current protection are called Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) breakers; a wall mounted outlet device or separately enclosed plug-in device providing ground fault detection and interruption only (no overload protection) is called a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI).
Earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB)This detects earth current directly rather than detecting imbalance. They are no longer seen in new installations for various reasons.
AutorecloserA type of circuit breaker that closes automatically after a delay. These are used on overhead power distribution systems, to prevent short duration faults from causing sustained outages.
Polyswitch (polyfuse)A small device commonly described as an automatically resetting fuse rather than a circuit breaker.
See also
Power system protection Residual current device Earth leakage circuit breaker Earthing system Domestic AC power plugs and sockets Arc-fault circuit interrupter Insulation monitoring device Circuit Total Limitation (CTL) Network protector Circuit breaker panel Remote racking system
References
1. ^ The Making of America. BiblioBazaar, LLC. 2. ^ Robert Friedel and Paul Israel, Edison's Electric Light: Biography of an Invention, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick New Jersey USA,1986 ISBN 0-81351118-6 pp.65-66 3. ^ "1920-1929 Stotz miniature circuit breaker and domestic appliances", ABB, 200601-09, accessed 4 July 2011 4. ^ B. M. Weedy, Electric Power Systems Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons, London, 1972, ISBN 0-471-92445-8 pp. 428-430 5. ^ http://bonle.en.alibaba.com/product/50348671/51680889/Switch/MCB___MCCB.ht ml 6. ^ http://www.claytonengineering.com/training/myweb6/Module11/Output/ImportantC oncepts.html 7. ^ Few manufacturers offer now a single-bottle vacuum breaker rated up to 72.5 kV and even 145 kV. See http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/113307491/abstract?CRETRY=1&S RETRY=0 Electrical Engineering in Japan, vol 157 issue 4 pages 13-23 8. ^ "Siemens launches world's first 1200kV SF6 Circuit Breaker". Retrieved 14 November 2011. 9. ^ "ABB to develop ultra high voltage circuit breaker". Retrieved 14 August 2012. 10. ^ "Applications of Disconnecting Circuit Breakers, Michael Fax, p.1". Retrieved 9 July 2012. 11. ^ "HPL Disconnecting Circuit Breaker". Retrieved 9 July 2012.
12. ^ "Disconnecting Circuit Breakers, Buyers and Application Guide, p. 10". Retrieved 9 July 2012.
BS EN 60898-1. Electrical accessories Circuit breakers for over-current protection for household and similar installations. British Standards Institution, 2003.